Page 15 of Along Came Summer

“I suppose.” Mira draws in a deep breath and exhales. “After almost six whole months, this is the first time I feel a sense of relief. Your presence is calming. I feel like I’m encased in this fortified bubble shielding me from all the anxiety and darkness. Isn’t that strange?”

Her words make my heart swell to twice its size. I shake my head, “No, princess, it’s not strange at all. It's great to see you finally letting go of everything you've been holding inside. The relief you're feeling now is a good sign, and I'm glad you felt comfortable enough to confide in me.”

“Well, you’re a really good listener,” Mira replies, lifting her arms up over her head to stretch. “And a pretty good pillow. You’re oddly comfortable to lay on with all those… robust muscles you’re packing. I could quite happily stay like this all day.”

And I would quite happily let you, baby girl.

Mira snuggles closer, and I laugh. I’m packing a lot of hard things—onevery hardthing that at this very moment is refusing to stand the fuck down.

Mira lets out a slow moan that voyages through my entire being.

Take control of your thoughts, Levi, for fuck’s sake.

God damnit, this infuriatingly gorgeous girl is really putting my self-control to the test. I need to cool off.Now.

“Robust?” I chuckle, shifting to sit upright. I give Mira a moment to sit up before I pull my weight away from her and stand. “I’ll take that. And you can feel free to use myrobustmuscles as your pillow whenever you desire, princess. You won’t hear any complaints from me.” I grin, holding my hand out to her. Mira doesn’t hesitate, instead, she takes my hand and pushes herself up onto her feet, wearing a coy smile on her lips. As the afternoon approaches, the heat becomes increasingly stifling, so much so that I can hear the cool water surrounding us calling out for me to jump in and cool off—which is what I usually do.

When I’m done with my meditation, I tend to go for a swim or, depending on the level of stress I’m feeling, I finish off my session with some floating therapy, which helps relieve anxiety, regulate blood pressure and ease small aches and pains in your body.

Recent studies have proven that floatation therapy provides temporary relief for those suffering from PTSD. I think this could be a helpful tool for Mira to consider in managing her condition.IfI can convince her to get in the water to try.

“There’s one last thing I want you to try for today, which I think will be very beneficial to you, but I’m going to need you to trust me if it’s going to work.” I’m barely even done speaking, and Mira’s giving me a sceptical look.

“Okay… what… is it?” she questions warily, and as I catch a glimpse of her fretful gaze, my heart swells with affection and empathy. My arms ache to pull her close and tenderly kiss those gorgeous lips to ease her worries.

Smiling reassuringly, I tug my black vest top off and drop it on the floor, and Mira watches me, her amber eyes widening with surprise. I’m trying so hard to ignore how she swallows thickly and allows her eyes to rake over my torso. “Levi… what are you—”

“Do you trust me?” I ask as I inch toward her. Mira gazes at me and nods slowly without speaking a word. “Lift your arms up for me,” I instruct, and she does as I tell her without hesitation. Keeping my eyes on hers, I shift forward, reach for the hem of her white knitted dress she’s wearing over a neon pink bikini, and slowly lift it over her hips.

Fuck me, she really does trust me.

The way her eyes are flitting over my face stirs a powerful urge to grip me to bridge the tiny space between us and lock lips with her. But I steel myself and focus on her mesmerising eyes instead as I continue to peel her dress up over her waist, her bikini-clad chest and finally over her head.

It’s my turn to swallow thickly because she’s fucking breathtaking. I can tell by the blush on her cheeks that I'm not doing a great job concealing my admiration for her or how she looks in that bikini. “You still remember how to swim?” Mira's arms slowly drop to her sides, and she nods, smiling faintly. Devin and I spent endless hours teaching her to swim when we were on a family holiday in Turkey back when we were kids, but I know she’s still uneasy around water. The last thing I want to do is spook or overwhelm her. “You can’t come to one of Thailand's most famous waterfalls and not take a dip in its plunge pool. In fact, the waterfall would deem it an insult if you didn’t.”

Mira’s brow arches, and she cocks her head to the side and smiles, “Well, in that case, I wouldn’t dream of insulting such an esteemed landmark.” Mira declares with a teasing smile as she moves to the edge of the boulder we’re standing on.

“Shall we then?” I ask, gesturing to the pool, and she nods. I dive in first so I can help her in. The water is refreshingly cool against my warmed skin. It's just what I needed to cool off some of the pent-up frustration I’m currently feeling.

Emerging from the water, I see Mira following my lead and soaring back up for air.

“Shit, that’s bloody cold.” She gasps as a visible shiver passes through her, and she wraps her arms around herself, seeking warmth.

“Fresh water tends to be a lot cooler than seawater. If you keep moving, your body will adjust quicker.” I inform as I circle around her.

Mira smiles sweetly and spins so she can face me. “So, what’s this thing that you wanted me to try?”

“Floatation therapy.”

Mira’s dark brows bunch together, “Come again? Floatation, what now?”

Chuckling, I take a step closer to her and place my hands on the balls of her shoulders. “Don’t be afraid. It’s a form of water meditation, a peaceful practice where you rest on the water's surface and let your mind drift away. It’s proven to be effective with people suffering from post-traumatic stress. I do it regularly, and it has a bunch of benefits. It helps your body heal faster. It helps improve blood flow and reduce your blood pressure, to name a few.”

Mira looks at the water and then back at me like I’ve sprouted a second head. “So, I just float on the water? That’s it?”

I nod, “That’s it, you just lay back and like I taught you before, you just focus on your breathing and try not to think, just let yourself relax like you’re one with the water.”

“Okay, well I gu—oh my god!” I’m about to convince her to give the floatation therapy a go when she suddenly lets out an adorable shriek, throws her arms around my neck, and jumps into my arms. “Levi, something just brushed up against my foot. Something just brushed against my foot!”

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